books.google.com - William the Conqueror was a formidable personality, whose political imagination and ruthless will were the driving force of the Norman Conquest of England. In this biography, David Bates describes the full scope of William’s achievements in both Normandy and England, setting them firmly in the context...https://books.google.com/books/about/William_the_Conqueror.html?id=ZwoXAQAAIAAJ&utm_source=gb-gplus-shareWilliam the Conqueror

William the Conqueror

William the Conqueror was a formidable personality, whose political imagination and ruthless will were the driving force of the Norman Conquest of England. In this biography, David Bates describes the full scope of William’s achievements in both Normandy and England, setting them firmly in the context of Europe in an age of change and turmoil. William showed himself to be an outstanding soldier and an extremely effective ruler, who combined great fortitude with an unbending insistence on his own authority. He was also cruel, greedy, and intolerant—a man who pitilessly stamped out opposition and shamelessly manipulated facts to justify dubious enterprises.

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LibraryThing Review

User Review - Jamie638 - LibraryThing

This is an excellent biography of the ambitious, cruel, and implacable man (also known as William the Bastard to his contemporaries for his demeanor as well as his parentage) who conquered England in ... Read full review

LibraryThing Review

User Review - john257hopper - LibraryThing

A good general introduction to the life of the Conqueror, though it's not as meaty and detailed as the David Douglas biography.Read full review

About the author (2004)

DAVID BATES is Senior Lecturer in Social Science at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK, and Programme Director in Politics. His research explores contemporary and classical Marxism, the sociology of class, the sociology of knowledge and the political economy of intellectual labour.